BBC presenter scandal: Allegations are ‘rubbish’, says young person’s lawyer – report
Claims made by the mother in the BBC presenter scandal are “rubbish”, a lawyer for the young person has reportedly said.
In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer casts doubt on The Sun’s story about the male star who has not been publicly identified but is reportedly a “household name”.
The letter said “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” took place between the young person and the presenter, according to the BBC.
The letter added the young person sent a denial to the newspaper on Friday evening, saying there was “no truth to it”.
However, the “inappropriate article” was still published, the lawyer told the corporation.
Read more: BBC presenter claims – live updates
It comes as the Metropolitan Police earlier said it was “assessing information” supplied by the BBC over the claims.
The force is carrying out further enquiries to establish whether any crime has been committed following the allegations.
Representatives for the broadcaster spoke to Met detectives, who said they are looking at the information discussed at the virtual meeting – but have not yet launched an investigation.
The BBC quoted a spokesperson for The Sun as saying: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
According to the newspaper, which first broke the story on Saturday, the presenter paid the young person, now aged 20, about £35,000 in exchange for sexually explicit images over a three-year period.
He allegedly began requesting the images in 2020 when the individual was 17 years old and made a series of payments over the years.
The individual had reportedly used the money to fund an addiction to crack cocaine – that had “destroyed” their life, according to their mother.
It was also alleged the presenter stripped to his underwear during a video call with them.
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What we know about claims against BBC star
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Presenter should only be named after ‘full’ investigation – justice secretary
Everything we know about the claims
The stars who have denied it’s them
Family members of the young person said they made a complaint to the BBC on 19 May, but approached The Sun after becoming frustrated the presenter was still on air a month later.
While the paper has not revealed the name of the star, they have said he is paid a six-figure salary and is currently off-air. He was suspended by the BBC on Sunday.
Following the publication of allegations in the press, the presenter is understood to have contacted the young person involved, phoning them and asking, “what have you done?”
In a statement issued by the BBC on Sunday, the corporation confirmed they first received a complaint about the presenter in May.
They said they were taking the allegations “very seriously,” and had gone on to suspend the presenter after receiving new allegations of a different nature in addition to their own enquiries.
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Jeremy Vine: ‘It can’t be me’
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Wrongly named presenter takes legal advice
Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Nicky Campbell are among the BBC stars to have publicly stated that they are not the presenter in question.
The presenter remains unnamed due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, the reports in The Sun are allegations and it is not clear what evidence they have and who supplied it.
It is also unclear if any laws have been broken, without knowing the content of the alleged photographs, and when exactly they were sent.
And the UK’s defamation laws protect individuals against harm, reputational or otherwise, caused by things that have been said about them which turn out to be false.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
Entertainment
Robin Kaye: American Idol TV executive and her husband shot dead inside their Los Angeles home
An American Idol TV executive and her husband have been found dead in their LA home.
Robin Kaye was a music supervisor on the long-running reality TV series.
The bodies of the 70-year-old and her husband Thomas were discovered after officers conducted a welfare check at their home.
Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook
Detectives say Raymond Boodarian has been arrested in connection with their deaths.
It is alleged the 22-year-old had burgled their property while they were away on 10 July – killing the couple upon their return.
According to Los Angeles Police, there were “no signs of forced entry or trouble” at the property.
Ms Kaye was an industry veteran – and had previously worked on shows including Lip Sync Battle and The Singing Bee, as well as several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
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Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles
In a statement, an American Idol spokesperson said: “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.
“Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”
Entertainment
Action taken to stop ticketless Oasis fans from watching this week’s shows in Manchester
Huge steel fences have been erected to prevent ticketless fans from watching the Oasis reunion tour in Manchester.
Liam and Noel Gallagher will resume their sold-out run of shows – their first since 2009 – with a performance at Heaton Park tonight, and two more on Saturday and Sunday.
While tens of thousands bought tickets for Oasis’s first two shows last weekend, crowds gathered to glimpse the large screens above the stage in the distance – in an area dubbed “Gallagher Hill” by some on social media.
People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. Reuters file pic
Manchester City Council has now said more steel fences have been erected around parts of the park to prevent ticketless fans from watching the gigs, and to protect nature in the park.
“After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts,” it said.
“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.
“The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
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Friday: Excited fans at Oasis homecoming gig
The fences will cover a large area of the hill within the park’s cattle field, which is being developed as a new woodland area with around 300 young trees planted.
The council added that there would be no facilities for people without a ticket, and said the event area is “double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round”.
More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will also be on duty around the site “to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticket-holders and that only those who have tickets access the concert”, it said.
Read more:
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Fans queue all day for Manchester homecoming gig
John Hacking, the council’s executive member for employment, skills and leisure, also said in a statement that “unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place”.
He added: “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.
“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.
“We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy, whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
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